Kyrie Irving praises Karl-Anthony Towns for overcoming ‘unfair criticism’

Through three games in the Western Conference Finals, Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns had one of the toughest stretches of his career.

Towns was benched in Game 2 in favor of Naz Reid. Through the first three games, he hasn’t shot better than 30 percent from the field in any game. To top it all off, the 28-year-old big man shot 0 of 8 from three-point range in a Game 3 loss.

Unsurprisingly, analysts and fans alike criticized Towns, who responded with an outstanding Game 4, scoring 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting while knocking down 4-of-5 attempts from beyond the arc.

After the game, Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving gave Towns his flowers, praising the T’Wolves big man for overcoming “unfair criticism” in the first three games, as detailed by Mike Curtis of Dallas Morning News.

“Despite the unfair criticism he received, he’s a great player. I respect him. I know my teammates respect him… That’s what great players do. They realize it,” Irving said of Towns after Game 4.

Although Towns’ performance played a big role in the T-Wolves avoiding a sweep Tuesday night, they still have a lot of work to do. It starts with an attempt to win Game 5 at Minnesota on Thursday to push the series back to Dallas for Game 6.